Little by Little
by Little-Known-Artist
Summary: <html><head></head>Post Manga. After the three year separation, Inuyasha and Kagome are finally together as a couple. There will be little bumps in the road along the way, but its all part of the learning experience. And they plan to learn everything about and every inch of the other-little by little.</html>
1. Closing the Gap

**Little by Little**

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><p><strong><span>Closing the Gap<span>**

Kagome stood up and grabbed Inuyasha's arm to get him up too.

"I want to go for a walk, we can come back any time, right?"

Kaede nodded. "If you do so quietly," she responded. She and Rin would probably be asleep by the time Inuyasha and Kagome returned.

Kagome smiled at the old woman before looking down at Inuyasha.

"C'mon."

Inuyasha blinked a few times.

"Sure," he muttered, following Kagome closely as they exited the hut.

Kagome slid her hand down his arm, finally ending at his hand and holding on gently. Inuyasha smiled; this was the first time they really got to be alone in almost three days' time. Everyone was so happy to see Kagome back. Sango and Miroku had introduced Kagome to their new additions and told Kagome all what had happened with them in that three years' time. They had even given Kagome a bit of what Inuyasha had been doing with his time. Inuyasha squawked when they had described his initial depression after she first disappeared, but they went on to explain all the good he had done. Inuyasha had become the official protector of the village, watching over it from his forest. He had flushed out any major predatory animals, and dealt with any demons stupid enough to enter his domain. The villagers also suspected he had something to do with the firewood that had mysteriously been laid out in the center of the village during a particularly rough winter.

Inuyasha shifted the grip, intertwining his fingers with Kagome's. Kagome smiled brighter, but her gaze fell to the ground in front of her as they walked along. Inuyasha realized after a few minutes that Kagome was leading him back to the Goshinboku. He glanced around when Kagome stopped suddenly. Inuyasha was puzzled when she pulled her hand away and turned to face him. She met his eyes for a brief second before turning her gaze off to the side. She was thinking of something.

With a huff she suddenly slipped her hands around Inuyasha's beads and yanked him down to her level. By the time Inuyasha figured out what was happening, Kagome was stepping off her tiptoes and pulling away from him. He blinked when his brain caught up to the moment. The shy peck did not match Kagome's flaming red face, and it wasn't what Inuyasha hoped for after a three year separation like they had had. Not remotely.

"_I might get scolded for this but…"_

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, and ducked back down to kiss her again. He was more aggressive than she had been—a little rougher, a little sweeter—moving his lips over hers with a little more pressure. He let off the pressure before pulling away. Kagome smiled and draped her wrists over his neck.

The smile told him he wasn't going to get scolded for being too aggressive.

She stood on tiptoe to meet his lips again. His hands fell casually to the small of her back, crossing his fingers and holding her up against his body. She nipped his bottom lips at some point and Inuyasha fell over that edge. He growled and smirked against the corner of her mouth. He pressed against her more roughly and shifted the angle of their lips. Inuyasha didn't know what the hell he was doing, but he was enjoying it. If he went too far he would just have to trust Kagome to stop him.

When she need a break, she did stop him with a gentle hand against his face, a thumb on his cheekbone and pushed away slightly. Inuyasha's eyes fluttered open to see Kagome looking down from his eyes, bottom lip between her teeth. He relaxed his grip on her back and left his hands on her hips.

When too many seconds passed like this, Inuyasha started to panic. He just knew he fucked something up. He glanced in the direction he knew the well was in. If she became homesick—if she left now and leapt into the well—would it accept her back?

"_No, that's not even…"_ He scolded himself. Kagome was here now. She wasn't going to leave just because he did something stupid. And besides, Kagome had said herself the only reason the well worked that last time was because…

_I wanted to be with you._

Yeah. Kagome had said that. She meant it too.

When he finally regained his nerve, he started: "Kagome—" but was cut off.

"What are we doing, Inuyasha?"

He blinked. He wasn't about to make assumptions on what she meant, so he played dumb, answering the obvious.

"Well, we _were_ going for a walk. I'm not real sure what happened from there."

Her chuckle rid him of some of his unease.

"What I meant was…well…I…" she was struggling with the words.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Yeah..?"

"Mn…." Kagome bit her lip again.

Inuyasha turned his head away, focusing on some branches overhead.

"I'd hate to rush you, but…just say whatever it is."

Kagome took a deep breath.

"What I mean is…like…are we...? Do you…? Are we going to get married? Is that too soon or…?"

Kagome looked back up at Inuyasha's surprised face. He had never thought of it before. Well, sure, he knew he wanted to be with Kagome, but he never really thought about what that entailed. He should marry her, right? There was nothing much different about being married than what he hoped their life might be like. Yeah, what he really wanted was a marriage. He had just never heard it put into words before.

"Y-yeah. That's perfect—that's—that's better than perf—"

"I mean," Kagome interrupted, "it's not too soon is it? We could wait a while. We've…been separated for a long time."

"No, that's fine. We could do it whenever. Get married," Inuyasha choked out as a smile on his lips became acquainted with his flushed face.

"Yeah but… We've really only had three days this time."

Inuyasha shook his head.

"Forget about that. Nothing's changed—really—since then. Our feelings anyway. You still feel the same about me as you did back then, right?"

Kagome blinked once over those beautiful brown eyes of hers.

"No."

Inuyasha's smile vanished. A sudden chill replaced the heat in his face. When a blush became visible on her face, Inuyasha's own expression changed to that of puzzlement. Kagome smiled shyly.

"I don't feel the same as back then. Especially not after that kiss."

His blush returned as brightly as hers. "Ah."

Kagome shrunk down from him.

"You really don't feel like there's a gap?"

Inuyasha brought himself down to her level.

"And even if there were, I'd do my best to close it."

He brought his hands around her back again, and they closed the gap between themselves, leaning into each other and wrapping their arms around one another.

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><p>I usually publish these things at three in the morning, so if you see any mistakes, please let me know so I can fix them.<p>

Chapter one is done, be on the look out for **chapter two**, when things really begin to heat up between the pair!


	2. Sewing Needles and Strands

**Sewing Needles and Strands**

Cradled in the roots of the Goshinboku was the newlywed couple, passing the time until they could make themselves useful again. While the couple was embarrassed to ask about the topic, the fact of the matter was that they needed a house of their own. Inuyasha didn't really care where he slept, but he didn't want for Kagome to have to stay with Kaede forever.

Inuyasha had drug in dead trees that were the best for good, dry framing. That was all he got to do though. Several men from the village were aiding in building the house. As of now, he boredly stared off at bird's nest while Kagome kept to herself beside him. He wanted to do something to help with the house, but he didn't know a damn thing about framing or foundations.

Roofing? He knew a bit about that. He didn't want to wait around for that point though.

_Ah, the birds settled in for the night._

The sun was already dripping red, and the sky was beginning to darken. Inuyasha's gaze wondered back over to his new wife. She had given up her modern attire for the familiar Miko robes recently. She had begun her training with Kaede, learning the names and uses of plants that grew during this time of year. It was only in the mornings for now, so it left her free time in the afternoon and evenings. She was currently using that time to practice sewing with some scraps of fabric Sango had given her. The scraps were very small, the only thing Sango could think to use them for were rags and hair ribbons anyway.

Kagome really needed the practice, she knew some basics about seams and alignments from her mother, but nothing that would help her in this world. Sango and Miroku together had gifted her a pretty role of fabric to make a yukata as a wedding present. Kagome wanted to make sure she had the basics down before she went diving into that project.

Not to mention she wanted to learn to sew for he husband's sake. The Robe of the Fire Rat patched itself with youki, but the underlayer got torn every time something got past the Robe's defenses. In their travels Inuyasha had gone through at least three of those layers that she knew of. Kagome knew how to patch holes, but they could buy a bit of white fabric to have on hand to sew a new one if need be. It was probably a little cheaper than buying a new one every time.

Kagome glanced at him when she noticed her husband's eyes directed at her. When she turned her head and he didn't react she figured he was just spacing out in her direction. He looked…bored? Grumpy?

"Inuyasha?"

He mumbled something at the sound of his name. His eyes refocused to the worried face of his wife.

"What?" He blinked.

"What's with the sour face?"

Inuyasha averted his eyes.

"Eh," he shrugged.

Kagome sighed. She turned her attention back to her stitching, but continued; "You feel kind of useless out here, huh?"

Inuyasha straightened his back, blinking at her.

"N…No that's not really—"

"Don't lie to me."

"Keh," Inuyasha scoffed. He crossed his arms in his sleeves and leaned back against the tree.

She paused her needle to look at him from the corner of her eye.

"If you're bored, you could practice sewing too," she said as she went back to sewing.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at that.

"Honestly I don't even know why _you're_ bothering practicing."

"And _what_ do you mean by _that_?" His wife snapped back before he had a chance to realize what he'd said. He sat up straight, trying to back out of his words; their meaning having been skewed in Kagome's mind.

"I didn't mean—"

"Ouch!"

Kagome shook her hand away from her sewing, before turning it over to examine it. With her right hand she squeezed the index finger that had been pricked to see if it would bleed. She groaned quietly when red welled to the surface. Instantly, Inuyasha grabbed her hand with a muttered "gimme that," and licked the blood off. He didn't think anything of the action. He held it to his mouth and gently sucked until he was certain he didn't taste blood anymore. Kagome slowly took her hand back as Inuyasha continued talking.

"What I meant was I don't know why you'd need to practice anyway. You know how to patch holes and stuff already."

"Inuyasha. I thought I told you already? I really want to use some of the fabric Sango and Miroku gave me to make a yukata."

Inuyasha sighed. He leaned his head back against the tree; the bark would be rough on his scalp if not for the unusual thickness of his silver hair. Kagome tilted her head to the side, curious about Inuyasha's behavior.

"Why are you—I don't know—being weird about this?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "I dunno. It's not me being weird so much as…" his voice lowered to a whisper, "you're taking this whole 'wife' thing a little more seriously than I expected."

Kagome burst out laughing. She was a little surprised as well, but found it more funny that some of her feminism had apparently rubbed off on him in this era. Inuyasha's startled, surprised face only made her laugh harder.

"What the hell, Kagome?!"

"Sorry, sorry, it's nothing," she said as her laughing fit died down. Inuyasha's face was still hilariously bewildered with that one eyebrow lifted as high as it would go. Kagome smiled and set her sewing aside. She scooted closer to Inuyasha and leaned her back against his right arm, resting her head on his shoulder. She could almost feel the heat from his face as she snuggled into him. She heard him cough awkwardly before he spoke again.

"It's getting dark. You won't be able to see that needle for much longer out here."

"Then I won't sew anymore."

She heard him cough again, but he didn't make a noise to agree or disagree. She breathed deeply and leaned further into him. He tried shifting his arm to make it more comfortable, but only succeeded in making Kagome uncomfortable. She reached back around and pulled Inuyasha's arm from behind her. She snuggled into his torso then, holding Inuyasha's hand between hers. The palm was so rough, the size was defiantly that of a man's, but the fingers looked long and the claws created an interesting tapering illusion, like a woman's hands. Inuyasha flexed the digits slightly, leading Kagome to ponder the deadly tips. Those claws had severed flesh from bone, ripped through small trees and put deep gashes into iron armor. Yet, the claws didn't worry her. She had no fear of grabbing this hand whenever she pleased. The few times those claws had been used against her, the hanyou who owned them had no control over. Possessed by his own blood, or an evil spirit—now that Naraku and the jewel were long gone—those days were over.

She curled her own index finger. It didn't hurt in the slightest, strangely. She blinked then looked back down to Inuyasha's hand. She picked it up then and turned it over. She felt Inuyasha shift, trying to see what she was doing with his hand. She placed a gentle kiss on the palm. She squeaked a bit when his hand slid from her lips to around her jaw. He gently urged her to turn towards him before he pressed his lips against hers. She laid a hand on his shoulder and twisted her body to regain balance in such an awkward position.

"Hold on," she uttered when they broke apart. She shifted her lower body into a more stable position beside his leg and leaned back over him into another kiss. Her incisors scraped against his bottom lip and he made a noise he hadn't planned, so his body stalled. This earned a chuckled from Kagome. She licked his bottom lip before pushing her tongue between his lips. He grunted when her tongue ran over his own incisors and pushed her back.

"What're you doin'?" he panted.

"Hush," she whispered back. She pushed a leg between his and raised herself up to get better leverage over him. She pushed him into the bark and continued on her way. She went right back with her tongue until Inuyasha got the gist of it and pushed his own back against hers.

"Ah!" She gasped into the kiss as he copied her actions a little more roughly. He squeezed her ribs on his way to sliding his hands around her hips. Kagome pulled away for breath and Inuyasha's lips continued to her jaw. He pulled her a little closer—his lips kissing her throat now. Kagome set her chin on top of his head. She opened her eyes to those fuzzy white ears, twitching against her breath. No wait, even between breaths. She tried to focus on the curious little appendages even with all that was going on with her neck at the moment.

'_oh,'_ she thought. His ears were twitching in time with his **heartbeat**. Then, her own heart sped markedly. She realized she had pressed her knee intimately against another place that his pulse was strong and in rhythm with those cute ears. She noticed one hand had left her hip for support against the earth. They were leaning back—or rather—Inuyasha was leaning her backwards.

And right now, she would let him.

But as is happened, she felt a sharp pain in her scalp. She tried to ignore it, but when Inuyasha shifted them slightly to their sides, Kagome yelped. He lifted his head from her neck, concernedly.

"What's wrong?"

Kagome raised her hand to try and find what her hair had gotten tangled around, but from her position, she couldn't look up to tell. Inuyasha pulled himself away to see where her hand was and followed it to the vines that enveloped the tree. There was a good chunk of her black hair tangled in the vines just over their heads.

"Hold on, I gotcha."

Kagome moved her hand for Inuyasha the slice the vine above and below the strands. She took the vine away and tried pulling the strands out with a good bit of difficulty. She huffed. Inuyasha tried his hand at untangling the strands, but it was if the strands of her hair had sewn itself like thread around the vine. It didn't help that the vine was covered in sap. Inuyasha began cutting the vine into smaller bits and unraveling the hair from there. Their hands quickly became covered in the sticky substance. Kagome yanked the last stuck strands out of her head, five strands sticking to the last bit of it.

She paused to touch her fingers together. The sticky substance made her fingers stick to each other. She reached up to feel her hair. Her face soured. Her hair also had the same sticky texture as her fingers. Inuyasha's own face quickly fell into the same expression, looking at his wife. He quickly untangled his leg from Kagome's and stood up. He reached up to the vines over his head and began tearing them down angrily.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

Kagome put her hand down to help herself up, the sticky sap taking some of the dry moss with it. Inuyasha ripped down another vine. He turned to Kagome at her murmur of 'ew'. His brows knit when he saw that she was trying to pick the moss off of her hand. He glared off in a random direction, focusing on the moss and leaves that littered the forest floor.

'_She should get something better than this crap,'_ he thought. He flexed his sticky hand and scowled.

"Let's wait until the house is finished."

Kagome's face flushed.

"Wait for what?" she didn't want to admit what they had been about to do.

Inuyasha's blush quickly matched his wife's. He didn't respond. Neither of them did; they just stood staring at one another, fighting over whose face could match the color of Inuyasha's clothes the fastest. Inuyasha coughed, turning his head away and willing the color out of his face and neck.

"We should wash this crap off our hands and head back to Kaede's."

Kagome nodded, staring at her feet now, and followed Inuyasha back to the creek.

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><p>Thank you for all the reviews! I honestly didn't expect that.<p>

I had to insert this chapter instead of my original chapter two because of all the reviews. I didn't want to just dive right into smut like that after those nice reviews. -/- Honestly, this isn't supposed to have much of a plot, or go in any sort of chronological order. This one is almost twice as long as the first chapter, wow.

One note about the hands. (There's a good chuck of writing about hands) I am first and foremost an artist, and I have this funny obsession with hands. The way Inuyasha's hands are drawn about volume 15 and after in the manga is an interesting mix of masculinity with the feminine qualities to go with them, though it's largely how the claws make them look. I love his hands more than anything.

Again, I'm publishing this really late at night so my eyes are too tired to pull out mistakes, so let me know if you see any so I can fix them right away.


	3. Hot and Cold

**Hot and Cold**

A few of the men waved goodbye to the couple as they left the building site for their own homes. Inuyasha inspected the house, agreeing that it probably only needed a about a ten days' work, as one of the men had said. With the way Inuyasha had things planned out, that deadline worked brilliantly.

Kagome waved her husband over for the rice she had carried with her and they ate with quiet conversation, ranging from the heat of the day to the possible layout of furniture. Sango and Miroku were storing the few items they'd been able to buy for their house—Inuyasha had a little money from the jobs he and Miroku had done over the years. Most of it had been useless to Inuyasha, and with the monk's growing family, 90% had gone to him. The rest of the items they were borrowing from some of the villagers they knew better. They'd return the items when they got money enough to replace them.

Kagome wondered how it would work out for the young family if Inuyasha began collecting half the payment from jobs. Inuyasha explained that Miroku had been storing some of the money for Sango in case something happened to him. He then relayed that Sango had smacked her husband upside the head for that comment. She'd kill him a second time if he left her alone to care for their children.

With a smirk, Inuyasha's ears twitched in the direction of the village at a sneeze. He'd smelled his friend for a while coming. Miroku probably hadn't heard what they'd been saying about him, hence the sneeze. Kagome waved when she saw him entering the clearing.

He returned the wave as he spoke to Inuyasha. They had another job coming up. When Miroku gave the location, about four days' walk in either direction, Inuyasha stopped him.

"It's that far up north?"

Miroku's head tilted slightly. "Yes?" he said questioningly.

"Isn't that kinda far? We'd be gone for, like what, eight or nine days?"

The monk eyed his friend suspiciously as he thought of the reason it might worry him. They had traveled farther before, but the way Inuyasha spoke, it seemed like the time was more of an issue than the distance.

"Ah," he realized it then. "And what day of the cycle is it?"

Inuyasha crossed his arms. "Got eleven days."

The monk nodded. "Will that be cutting it a little too close for you?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "Nah, not really. But me an' Kagome'll be moving in around then too."

Kagome looked back at the house with Miroku. He nodded again, looking back to his friend.

"Well, what do you think? You don't want to go?"

Inuyasha looked over his shoulder to Kagome, trying to get her opinion on the matter. She shrugged. He sighed and faced forward again. He really should take whatever job he could get.

"If we don't dawdle, it shouldn't be any more than eight to get there, squash whatever bug needs it, and get back."

That agreed upon, the two discussed their morning plans as Kagome left down to the creek offshoot to refill her water container. She was startled a bit when she found that the water was so cold. She shook it off and filled the container to the brim, setting it beside her. She stuck her fingertips in the water again, loving the contrast between the temperature of the water and the summer heat. She placed her hands just under the surface, the cool numbness in just her palms in was making her feel a bit more comfortable. It was nice.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha called as he came down to the creek. She turned and smiled at him, removing her hands from the water to stand.

"You forgot this," he said, holding her bow out to her. It was the very one she had worked so hard to master those years ago. It had somehow wound up back on this side of the well, and since Kagome had returned she'd mainly been using it for target practice. Her skills had become rusty over time.

Kagome blinked, taking the bow from him.

"I was only gone for two minutes, Inuyasha."

He rolled his eyes. "Doesn't matter. You should have it on you all the time. Just in case."

Kagome smiled. "Just in case of what? You've been pretty much glued to me since we I came back. Even if you're gone for a day with Miroku, I doubt that'll be the day I have to use it."

"Sometimes we're gone for longer, like the next week." he shrugged. He cleared his throat and began on that topic.

"Did you hear any of that last bit?" Kagome shook her head and he continued. "Well, he just left, but me an' him are takin' off before dawn so we can get some dirt kicked up before it gets hot. You want me to wake you up to say good bye?"

"Yeah," Kagome said, standing across from him. "I'd like that."

She leaned forward against Inuyasha and he leaned back against her. She grasped some of the fabric at his chest and leaned up to kiss him softly. He smiled, as he usually did when she came back down on her heels. To Kagome, that soft, genuine smile was the best view in the world. It had taken so long for her to break him out of his shell to see it, and her heart swooned whenever he showed it to her. She smiled back and reached a hand up to cup his cheek for another innocent kiss.

"Holy shit!" he swore, snatching her hand away reflexively. He shivered. "Why's your hand so cold?"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Kagome laughed at herself for forgetting. "I had my hands in the water. You alright?"

Inuyasha sighed, squeezing her small, cold hand in his. He held it to his cheek with his left hand after a second.

"Yeah. It actually…feels…kinda nice…" he closed his eyes and leaned into her hand. It actually was pretty hot recently, he'd briefly considered letting Kagome tie up his hair like she wanted at one point. Her cool skin was slowly warming, enveloped by his own. Kagome noticed his skin was rather warm, and a sudden, devilish, thought came to mind.

"You know," she started, reaching up with her still cool left hand, "some people put a cool towel on their necks when they get hot." And her husband was very hot. At the moment, in a couple ways, though she was more concerned about one than the other. He opened he eyes as she pushed his hair aside to place her cool hand at the back of his neck, her fingers dipping under the hem of his clothing. The sensation of the temperature shift did feel nice, he thought as he closed his eyes again, although his pulse changed slightly just having her hands on him. A part of him was saying to read his wife better, her intentions weren't as innocent as she said, but another part told _that_ part they could go to hell.

She spread her hand at over his shoulder, under his clothes. He opened his eyes, just barely, as her hand continued down. Her fingertips traced his collarbone. The skin there was soft, perpetually guarded by the Robe of the Firerat. Her hands were now void of their earlier coolness, all of the sensation having returned.

"Kagome."

She spread her hand down over his chest. The hem of his clothing hindered her slightly. It had been so long that she was away, she certainly didn't remember his pectoral being this pronounced. Unless fueled by demon blood, he had always had a slight build, appropriate for the age he was. Slight as he was, his strength was beyond deceiving. '_Then again,'_ Kagome thought, _'I've never actually tried to _feel_ him while I was bandaging him.'_

She couldn't decipher his expression, he just stared down at her. His golden eyes shown brightly as always even for the low light by the creek. He had let go of her hand, even, just looking at her. Kagome felt heat come to her cheeks and drove her eyes down to her left hand. She brought her right from his face to widen the gap in his clothing. This finally urged a reaction out of her husband, hunching his shoulders and moving all of one inch away from her. She looked back up at him, his face aflame and glancing all around them. She smirked and pulled the cord that kept the extra fabric at his belly.

He jumped when it came undone and the layers began to untuck. Kagome spread both her hands over his chest, widening the spread of his layers. The white underlayer was still tucked into his hakama, but it was easily loosened.

"Okay, stop," he said as she began to pull the sides of the clothing out of his hakama. She didn't stop. She pushed her hands back inside his clothing, running them along his ribs. He laid his hands on her elbows to still them, but she retaliated by leaning forward and began kissing the center of his chest. He exhaled sharply, but she continued kissing up to his collarbone. For the heat in the air, his body made the tempurature seem cool now against his skin. The grip on her elbows fell slack and he lifted his head as her kisses went higher. She loved it—how heavy and quick his pulse was as she kissed over his carotid. She moved her hands again, sliding them around his sides and anchoring them at the small of his back. She had him gasping—hunching over her—when she ran her tongue over his Adam's apple and applied a little pressure to his back.

He closed his eyes and his hands automatically slid around her own waist, only _over_ her clothes. They raised a little and when his thumbs gently brushed the curve of her breasts is where he stopped himself.

"Kagome," he choked, gently squeezing her sides, "stop, this ain't fair."

"What's not fair?" she asked into his neck. She bit her lip for the courage to get the next part out. "You're allowed to touch me."

His back stiffened at that.

"Fuck…" he shook his head to try and remember where his line of thought had been before it was so delightfully clouded with the image of his wife in the very same stage of arousal that he was. "No, we've only got a little while until the house is finished. You've waited this long."

"It has been a long wait," she said, pulling away slightly, raising her hands to his shoulder blades. She managed to catch his flustered gaze as he righted his posture. He tried to clear the haze from his eyes as he stared down into hers. He bit his cheek to find the resolve to continue despite the look in her brown eyes.

"I'm serious."

She closed her eyes for a second of thought before reopening them.

"A bit of touching won't hurt."

"Maybe not you," he replied without a second's wait.

She blinked. "Oh." Her eyes drifted downwards.

"Don't look!" He barked in embarrassment.

Kagome sighed. She looked back up at her husband's serious expression. She dropped her hands from around his back and removed them from his clothing. She then willed a small smile to her lips.

"We're really going to wait until then?"

He nodded. "If I am allowed to have any say in the matter."

Kagome nodded, and handed the cord back to him so he could dress properly. She stood back as he quickly tucked everything back into place. She picked her bow and water up to remove the temptation of looking at his disheveled form again. A strong warm hand pulled hers back towards her husband when he had finished. They laced their fingers together, but nothing more as they exited the tree line. Inuyasha had probably _cooled off_ enough by the time they started on the path to Kaede's house. They were nearly to the hut before Kagome spoke again.

"So," she said with a wry grin, "Are you still going to wake me up before you leave tomorrow, or have I misbehaved a bit too much?"

He glanced back at her, a playful glint in his eye.

"Only if you promise not to molest me again."

"Now, I can't really tell what tomorrow brings."

He chuckled, stopping their forward movement. "Then I won't."

She pushed his shoulder. "Sure you will. You'll miss me just as much as I will you."

"Yeah," he agreed, kissing her forehead. Kagome sighed and wrapped her other hand around his arm, then they walked back to Kaede's house that way.

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><p>A <em>little<em> more intense Marshmallow fluff. :I I'm getting there. Please be patient with me, I haven't written this way since I was in junior high. I had to rewrite my original chapter two, and it looks like it will be a chapter four (for now i'msosorryigetsonervous).

Thank you for the reviews! It's so cool, I'm glad you like it so far.


	4. A Little Planning-Part I

**A Little Planning-Part I**

"Okay, now turn around," Sango told Kagome, the young mother holding one squirming toddler under either arm.

Kagome turned around to show off her sewing work. Sango frowned a little on seeing the back. She plopped one of the girls into her lap and tugged on the bottom hem of Kagome's blue yukata.

"Well," she started, touching her knuckle to her lips. "The pattern here doesn't quite match up,"

Kagome frowned and opened her mouth to speak when Sango continued.

"But unless someone's really staring at your bottom, they won't notice. And besides, you'll be wearing a wrap most of the time."

Kagome sighed, nodding.

"But for your first time, you did well." She squeezed her daughters to her, smiling at them, "And what do you girls think?"

The girls looked back at Kagome, giggling.

"Pwetty!" Koyuki Squealed, followed a second later by Yukie. Kagome chuckled before a familiar aura tugged at the edges of her mind. She indicated to Sango that the boys were back and took her leave to meet up with Inuyasha. As she went towards where she felt Inuyasha's youki, she crossed paths with Miroku.

"He didn't even let me sleep last night, we just ate dinner and kept walking," Miroku told her with a groan. He went on to say that Inuyasha had disappeared promptly after entering into the village. Miroku bid farewell to Kagome and left for home. She was a bit curious about why her husband hadn't greeted her promptly upon arrival, but she shook it off. It wasn't long before Kagome figured out where Inuyasha had gone, and made her way over to Kaede's house.

Kagome raised an eyebrow upon entering the old Miko's home. She looked to Kaede, sorting the plants she had picked up that morning. The old Miko shrugged and went back to her sorting.

"Didn't say a word. He just came in and keeled over."

Kagome looked back down to her husband. He was curled on his side against the wall, not even his ears moving at the sound of voices. Not even Miroku seemed so tired.

Rin ran right into Kagome as she tried to enter the hut holding armfuls of firewood. The little girl (who was not so little anymore) apologized and sat the firewood by the far wall. She got down a small wrapping for Kaede. Kaede collected enough ground herbs for a dose of medicine, and wrapped them for the young girl to sprint out the door to deliver the medicine.

Kagome sighed as the screen flapped shut.

"Still pretty busy around here?"

Kaede nodded.

"That fever's got quite a few people, I wish I could be more useful. Do you think I could run errands as well?"

"Nay," Kaede responded softly. "That child can run faster than I can make this medicine. In due time, you'll learn to make this particular mix. But as of now you should focus on the more basic ones."

Kagome crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame.

"I hope I can learn quickly. Everything has slowed down the past few days for those who are sick. Those who are well sure are moving fast."

She looked back in on her husband, soundly sleeping like he sometimes did when he wouldn't admit to being tired. She wondered how he would take the news that some of the men working on their house had fallen ill.

* * *

><p>Surprisingly enough, the build was only delayed by one day. Inuyasha did any heavy lifting necessary, jumped up with supplies where a human would need to climb, and surprised a few of the workers with his quick hammering technique. He more than made up for the couple of men home with a fever. The roof was finished by mid-morning. Inuyasha decided it was perfect for now. It would need a bit of additional insulation before winter, but there was a good while to get that taken care of.<p>

Sango and Miroku helped move everything in, Ichiro strapped to his mother's back and Shippo entertaining the girls outside. The young parents tried to ignore the arguments about the layout from the younger couple. Inuyasha gave up trying to explain at one point, stomping out and returning minutes later with one of the heavier items—discussion over.

Everything was moved and in its place (depending on who you ask—husband or wife) by the afternoon. Kagome helped Shippo watch the kids as she ran down to help Sango finish her chores. Inuyasha tried to do the same, but Miroku kept piping up with a suggestive tone about his friend's first night in his own home—Inuyasha covered his ears and settled into a tree to ignore him. Kagome offered to make dinner that night, since she mostly dictated where to put things. Sango happily agreed and offered some vegetables to add. The topic then changed to how to start a garden properly as she and Kagome finished up and walked to meet up with the boys.

* * *

><p>After rinsing all the bowls from their early dinner, the young parents stayed to chat a while with the newlyweds. Miroku continued the ladies' conversation from earlier on how to start a small garden. The young parents' garden wasn't big by any means, but they had vegetables to eat throughout the warmer months. When Miroku and Sango's girls started becoming whiny, they decided it was time for bed. There was still an hour of daylight, Inuyasha noted, as the younger twin had.<p>

"But is nod nighttime," Koyuki complained as she rubbed her face into Sango's shoulder. Miroku picked the other up and Sango transferred Koyuki to his free arm.

"Yes it is, baby," he calmly told the green-clad toddler.

"Nuh-uh," she replied stubbornly.

Yukie just closed her eyes without putting up a fuss. Koyuki made a long drawn out whine as Sango bid their friends goodnight. Kagome chuckled as she heard the baby start to fuss outside, awoken on his mother's back by his noisy sister. They were cute, but she could wait a while before…

Kagome stood to stretch her legs. When she had thoroughly stretched her back, she reached for Inuyasha's hand. He gave her a puzzled look.

"I want to say thankyou to Kaede and Rin, too. Since Kaede's been so wonderful to put us up until now," Kagome explained.

Inuyasha made a sour face.

"Can't you do that in the morning?

Kagome frowned.

"Yeah, I suppose…isn't that kinda rude though?"

Inuyasha scoffed, checking the fading sunlight from the corner of his eye. He doubted they'd get back before nightfall if they left now. Well, actually they could, but not if Kagome wanted to visit any.

"You could say you were too tired to head over there tonight. It'd be understandable…even though most of what you did was order people around."

Kagome glared.

"I'm gonna forget you said that," she paused, "but honestly, I wanted to scope out the area before it got too dark. I know I looked at where we could put a garden before the house was built, but I want to see which spot works best."

Inuyasha weighed her words carefully. There was still a little time before the sun went down, and they wouldn't be leaving the forest…just a short walk around the area.

Inuyasha sighed and rose to his feet.

"Yeah, we should probably do that," he said, walking past his wife. He didn't check to see if she was following, because he assumed she was. Then he heard a bit of scuffling from the house and realized he never heard her footsteps.

"Kagome?"

Kagome poked her head out from the door, smiling.

"Just putting the dishes away, we forgot to do that."

He raised a brow to Kagome as she pranced out after him. He could have sworn they'd put the bowls away. Nevertheless, Kagome wrapped a hand around his wrist and dragged him to the closest location she'd noticed before the build. Kagome stopped short of a clearing a stone's throw from the house for inspection. They considered the light and distance from the house, but Inuyasha decided after two minutes of circling that it wouldn't work.

"The light's good and all, but all these little roots would take forever to rip out. By the time we got 'em out there'd be more to grow in. Tree roots aren't a problem, but these little suckers…"

Kagome nodded and lead her husband a little deeper through the brush until her yukata sleeve got snagged, she pulled it loose after a second, but Inuyasha commented anyway that they'd have to cut a new path through if they wanted to plant here. The circled back after a few more spots, but they were plagued by roots or rocks or the sunlight wasn't good enough. They crossed over to the other side of the house, finding a few better options. Kagome was happy that they had narrowed it down. The light was fading and she decided to get a drink of water from the stream before heading back, since it was closer than the house. Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably when Kagome wiped her mouth on her sleeve.

"What's eating you?" She asked.

He shook his head and replied that he wanted to get back to the house. His eyesight was becoming dimmer with every second as the sun dipped lower over the horizon. The house was in sight when he felt the sun set and the changes take full effect.

Kagome gasped when she saw the pale silver darken to an inky black. She smiled when she realized what had happened.

"Ohh," she started in a high pitch, "I totally forgot this happened!"

"Yeah, yeah," he tried brushing her off.

"Wait, I've been here two months, this should have happened already. Where was I for the first change?"

Inuyasha blinked once over newly black eyes, trying to remember.

"Ah, yeah, you slept right on through. It was pretty near the solstice then, so by the time you woke up I was normal again."

Kagome frowned as a thought struck her. Good timing that he could turn human in his own home this month…wasn't it?

Kagome smirked, tightening her grip on his arm. Inuyasha eyed her suspiciously. What the hell was that look on her face supposed to be? He also noticed that she definitely seemed a lot stronger gripping his human arm than if he were hanyou now.

"You planned this."

Inuyasha bit the tip of his tongue and said nothing. Kagome stopped them outside the door, turning to stand in front of him. She shook her head and smiled more genuinely.

"You thought it would be a good idea for our first night together—alone together—to be your human night?" She asked, leadingly. Inuyasha felt like he was being drawn into a trap. It sounded like a good idea in his head. Kagome continued, "Our first night, just the two of us, alone in the middle of the forest—unfamiliar environment for me—just two helpless humans," she was still smiling, but Inuyasha interrupted her anyway.

"Don't give me that crap. You're far from helpless. I'd be screwed on my own, but you at least know how to use a bow," his face brightened towards the end, "I'm glad I got you around to protect _me_."

Kagome giggled when he bent down to lean his forehead against hers. She backed away from him for a second before kissing him without removing her smile. His free hand came up to rake through her hair before drawing her back up into another kiss. She broke away and tugged his hand back through the screen into their new house.

A tiny fleck of anxiety rolled through his mind when they crossed the threshold. He swallowed that thought whole, they had once tried this in the middle of the forest, and now there were no pesky vines to hinder them. His wife was quickly quelling any other worries he might have, tugging him further into the house—past the firepit and nearly to the back wall. He almost tripped over something—his gaze solely focused on his wife at the moment. She noticed the stumble and stopped their forward motion by the back wall. Repeating the steps she had on previous occasions, she wrapped a hand around the beads pulling him to her.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Sorry it took so long. I've rewritten this probably six times now, and it's still not much better than what I used to write when I was a kid. Plus, I'm just starting back out there, it's incredibly embarrassing, albeit thrilling to write.<p>

It got really long, so I split it into two parts.

Another thing, my personal favorite of Inuyasha's three forms is as a human, but obviously Kagome's preferred is his normal one. I adore brown eyed characters. There's always debate about Inuyasha's eye color, (brown, grey or dark violet are the most common) but I think the animation staff was going for dark brown-a common color. I think they wanted to make him as common and normal a human as they come, though in the manga, while some human characters have fully inked eyes, a screentone was always used for Inuyasha, suggesting a lighter shade albeit darker than the gold.


	5. A Little Planning-Part II

**A Little Planning-Part II**

Once again, she lead the motions until he got a feel for the situation and took the more aggressive approach, tightening his grip on her back with one hand and clutching the hair at the base of her skull to tip her head up. He heard her chuckle before she came back to kissing him. He growled in human voice when her hands began tugging on the hem of his clothing as she had done over a week prior. She pulled away from the kiss to smile at him. He opened his eyes, and if his heart weren't pounding before it would be racing from the way Kagome gazed up at him lovingly.

Before he could do anything to show how much he loved that look, her lips were back at his throat, muttering, "The sound's a little different when you're human, you know?"

Somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered what the hell she was talking about. He felt her pushing away from him slightly, allowing the action since he knew what was expected next.

"Still sexy," she continued. She pulled the cord to release the folds of his clothing. Unlike last week, he didn't move away from her as she spread her hands under the layers, and over his chest. She felt down the sides of his ribs until the white layer hindered her again. She pulled on the sides, this time untucking it completely from his hakama, rather than just loosening it. She kissed his chest, noticing a cough when she reached her tongue out to taste the skin there. His breath was loud and heavy against her hair, he had loosened his grip on her back, and she could tell without looking, the expression on his flushed face.

"Do you want to take this off?" She asked, fingering the beads.

"I-it's fine. Leave it be," he said shakily.

She nodded and ran her hands down his sides, coming to meet at the front where…his abdominals hadn't been this pronounced either. At least she didn't remember them as pronounced. In the past, when she was treating stomach injuries, the muscles here were never visible, but if she pressed with a little pressure to scrub out any debris in his wounds, the muscles were hard just under the skin. Kagome thought back—the only time they were visible was that first time he had been overcome by his demon blood, and that was because every muscle in his body was tense in that moment.

She tried to glance down, but his belly was still shadowed from the firelight by his top layers. She drew her hands up again, running her hands over his shoulders and pushing the clothing layers from them. Inuyasha groaned and ducked down to kiss her again before she got a chance to look. She would have whined at missing out on the view if it hadn't been for her husband's tongue. _'Wow,'_ he lost her train of thought in his kiss then, and completely forgot what she was trying to do when he broke away to whisper in her ear.

"That's enough of that." His breath was hot on her cheek, and her knees buckled. Luckily though, he had chosen that moment to slide a hand from her back to her rear to help support her weight. It was the first time his hands had left the safe zones of her back and sides since they were wed—minus the brush at the creek. His other hand left her hair to lean on the wall. He bowed over her, trying to let them down gently, though his strength wasn't what it was usually, especially given the awkward angle.

Safely lowered to the wood floor—Kagome leaned against the wall and him kneeling over her outstretched legs—his hands left their respective positions for her waist. His fingers picked at her obi, suddenly recalling that the knot was at her back instead of the front with her miko attire. Having the same idea, Kagome's hands slid out of his hair and squeezed his shoulders gently before tucking between their bodies and feeling for the knot in his hakama. She jumped slightly, _feeling_ a lot more than the knot as she groped blindly. She felt guilty immediately, since what she brushed against shouldn't have startled her. However, an odd grunt came from her husband immediately following. She stilled her hand for a second before pressing it back into place purposefully.

"Mnh…"

Feeling along through the fabric earned very quiet, very erotic sounds from her husband, who hunched over her more now, raised on his knees and leaning his forehead against her shoulder. All Kagome could see at the moment was black hair, and the top part of his back.

"Kagome…" he breathed when she squeezed gently through his hakama. He was enjoying the moment until he realized he shouldn't enjoy it quite so much. He put a hand back on the wall to push away, and the other wrapped around her wrist.

"H-hey, hang on a second, okay?"

He was almost panting from just that. Kagome might never forgive him if he got too excited without her. Or rather, she might not if she had to wait even longer for him to get ready again. Kagome blinked once up at him when he kneeled a little lower. He always stopped her for some reason. His dark brown eyes scanned over her face again before turning his gaze to his elbows, where his sleeves were still gathered. He released her wrist to remove the Robe of the Fire Rat, and went to place it behind him, when he noticed something odd.

The bedding was already out. He cocked his head to the side, trying to think of how the bedding was already…Kagome was doing some minor planning of her own. This is why she took so long getting outside. He turned his gaze back to his wife.

"You didn't really want to visit Kaede, did you?"

Kagome flushed, shaking her head.

"And we put the bowls away earlier."

Inuyasha nodded, took a deep breath, moved his legs from straddling hers and backed up to the edge of the bedding. Kagome followed, trying to lessen the awkwardness of the transition as much as possible. It was made easier by Inuyasha pulling her towards him as soon as she was within reach. He urged her to stand on her knees, so he could repeat her actions from before—kissing her neck. One hand around her waist found the obi's knot and slid it over to the side where untying it would be easier. Kagome shivered reflexively when the panels of her yukata parted. This didn't go unnoticed by her husband, who smirked into her neck. Then, he gently pushed on her shoulder. She held onto his shoulders to ease onto her back. He followed her down, placing a hand on either side of her, and entering into another kiss. She got a firm grip on the hair at the base of his skull, holding him there until they were both in desperate need for air. He leaned up a bit, his hair falling around them beautifully. His view was particularly beautiful, he thought, gazing at the young woman under him—hazy brown eyes, smiling lips, long black hair spread out against the red and white fabrics they had forgotten to move.

She cupped his cheek and smiled up at him. He closed his eyes and lifted her hand from his face. Her brows knit in slight confusion when he pushed her forearm down beside her head. He did the same with the other, removing it from his hair. He let go of her wrists, with one knuckle drew a line between the panels of her yukata, and slid it down the center of her chest, dividing the sides. He couldn't hear her heart like he normally could, but he could feel that her heart was pounding just as hard as his.

A sudden bout of embarrassment drew him closer to her, kissing her again. After a second, Kagome pulled him away by the hair, sudden awkwardness apparent on her face as well. He didn't know where to put his hands—her breasts were a good option, but he couldn't just fondle her the entire time—so he kept his hands on either side of her waist.

"Are…do you know what you're doing?"

Inuyasha flushed darker than he had in a while.

"O-Of course I do," he sputtered. Kagome translated that as 'I have literally no clue.'

"You're alright to look. I'd actually pre—"

"I know that!" Inuyasha blurted. He blinked, averting his eyes and repeated much more quietly, "I know thMNF—!" He didn't finish as Kagome yanked him back down for a rough kiss. She let up a moment later, kissing more tenderly, sucking gently at his lip. She led her hand down his shoulder and followed the length of his arm to his hand. She held it gently and pushed it up onto her left breast.

"Ah," Inuyasha gasped, breaking away from his wife's kiss to scan over her face. She still had her eyes closed as she moved his hand beneath hers, so he looked to where their hands were. Her skin was warm and flushed and her breast compliant to the motions. He bit his cheek and allowed his own hand to move over her. He enjoyed the feel and the smooth texture of her skin, and the point of her nipple under his palm. He moved his hand a little to the side, squeezing the nipple between his knuckles. Kagome's hand fell away and she tilted her head back—her husband's developing grin unseen to her.

And he did smile. He smiled for a number of reasons. This was the first time he had ever been allowed to touch a woman like this. This woman before him was the first one he'd even been tempted to touch. This woman, this wonderful, amazing woman who loved him and was allowing herself to be loved by him—without fear of anything. Without a care for his mixed blood. Other than his mother, Kagome had been the _very_ first woman to love him as he was. Although she needn't worry about claws or fangs tonight, he knew she wouldn't fear those either, even if they created a bit of apprehension in him.

"Okay," he murmured.

He dipped his head down, kissing the top of her other breast.

"ohhh…" she sighed very quietly, barely loud enough to catch. He balanced on his elbows to reach her right breast, wrapping around the side and pushing it more towards the front. He kissed the top again, ending in a lick to trail over the nipple. He felt her body tense, and heard an unexpectedly sharp note from her throat that he decided he liked. He licked over it again, then pulled it into his mouth to alternate between kissing, licking, and sucking gently. He continued to fondle the other one, pinching and rolling the nipple along with what his mouth was doing.

She kept silent from there, but her hands returned to his shoulders, unconsciously pushing him against her breasts. He continued the favor to the other, before kissing his way back to the center of her chest. He felt her kiss the top of his head. Kagome held the back of his head and pulled him into another sweet kiss. Still on his elbows, he tucked his hands under her shoulders as she spread her hands out over the hard muscles of his back. She ducked her hands under his arms to run down his sides, pressing roughly the entire way, then over his belly.

_ 'That is so hot,'_ she thought as she pressed into the muscles of his chest and belly. Just the feel was wonderful, not to mention the way Inuyasha groaned when she rubbed. Now, if only she could see him.

Her hands went far enough that she suddenly remembered that he was only half undressed. She frowned, once again feeling for the knot. He groaned again when she brushed against him, but she succeeded in untying it this time.

"Oh, screw it," Inuyasha muttered as he untangled himself from Kagome to lay on his side. He awkwardly began pulling and kicking his bottoms off, somehow managing to get his heels past the cords at his ankles. Kagome couldn't help it—she didn't really mean to laugh—but he didn't seem to notice or care. He turned back over to hover over her, but his legs remained to one side of her. His hands went firmly to her hips and his mouth back to her throat. That is, until one of his hands parted the fabric and slid down the outside of her leg, lifting and bending her knee as he went along. Kagome shivered again as his hand turned down to the inside of her thigh. He wasn't a bit nervous at the moment, he'd planned this so he wouldn't have to worry about claws. His human fingernails were never grown out past his fingertips. He leaned back up to watch her face with a crooked grin. Kagome kept her eyes opened, but she only watched her husband from her peripheral.

He wasn't surprised when he found fabric between her legs. He knew from past experience that Kagome wore these. (Actually, she should have worn something over her breasts, but she had neglected to tonight?)He pressed his hand against the fabric, making his wife's body squirm automatically. He licked his lips and lifted his hand up until he located the hem and pushed inside the garment. He was aware of his pulse again. She was already slick and he had never been more aroused in his life. Feeling around down here for the entrance was making his own blood burn red in his veins and especially in a similar area. He slid one finger inside and watched Kagome jump. She bit her lip and shut her eyes. He dared to move that finger even as she squirmed around. It felt weird to her—she liked it—but it was just an odd, foreign feeling.

Suddenly, he recalled that the monk had said something about this act a couple years ago—right before he'd had to dodge a rock thrown at him by his hanyou friend. Inuyasha couldn't recall what he'd said, so he'd store that for later.

Inuyasha pressed his other hand to her hips, stilling her a little as he inserted a second finger. He couldn't do much for her legs though. She squirmed even more at the addition and mewled into his hair. He kissed her cheek and gave up trying to hold her still, folding his unused arm under her head.

"Ah!" she gasped when he blew across her ear. She gripped his hair tightly to moan when he reached out with his tongue for the shell of her ear. Kagome was breathing heavily by that point, but she decided she was done with only the use of his fingers. She ran her hand down his back until she felt his hipbone—all the while unable to stop her squirming—and palmed around to the front.

Inuyasha hissed loudly, though it quickly became a groan as Kagome wrapped her delicate fingers around him. He pinched his eyes closed and forgot what he was supposed to be doing with his hands. He pushed his forehead into her shoulder when she started moving her hand. It felt good, really good—and a hell of a lot better than just his own hand—but he needed her to stop.

"Kagome..I…okay…st…" Kagome somehow understood what he was trying to say. He lifted his head and slipped his fingers out of her panties, but not before examining his hand. He didn't know what to do with the mess, so he wiped a bit on the Firerat Robe they were lying mostly on. He sat up a bit and hooked his fingers under the edge of her panties. She lifted herself up to help him out. She pulled her arms free of her sleeves and pushed her yukata away, which left way for an admirative once-over from her husband before he crawled back over her and settled between her legs.

Kagome took a deep breath.

"Just…be a little careful, alright?"

"Mn-hm," he replied a second before he understood what she meant. He paused.

"So that freak was tellin' me the truth?"

Kagome had to stop herself from giving a pitying look. _'Don't tell me he had to get 'the talk' through Miroku.'_ Then again, she had a sex-ed class with thirty other girls all trying to hide their faces throughout the lectures. It would have been easier to talk with a friend, but all her friends were in the same boat as her by the time that class rolled around.

"If you mean Miroku, and you mean…it'll hurt…then probably."

They both went silent for a moment before Kagome continued.

"It can't hurt more than when I had the jewel ripped out of me."

Inuyasha made a noise of disapproval before deciding her terrible example didn't matter.

"Okay," he muttered as she leaned up to kiss his cheek.

They kissed and groped about each other for a minute more, until Kagome wrapped her hand around him again. Inuyasha broke away.

"Dammit, I—"

Kagome raised an eyebrow with a slight smirk.

"Jus…" he swallowed, blinking down at her "don't rush me, woman," he finished with a chuckle.

"Actually, it might hurt less if you go quickly."

He swallowed whatever thoughts he might have had and nodded. He aligned himself properly and slowly pushed in just the tip. He took a deep breath and pushed forward, sheathing himself fully within her. He couldn't even make a sound, he just pinched his eyes shut and forced his face into her neck. It felt really good inside of her. She was warm and tightly pressed against all sides of him and…He had never felt like this before, and he almost didn't catch the gasp of pain from his wife. Grunting to clear his throat, he asked if she was alright.

"Kagome?"

Oh, it hurt, her involuntary reaction was the gasp that probably worried her husband, but in truth it was about like she expected. She had cramps a little worse than this about once a year. At least here, there was no nausea.

"I'm okay," she said with a slight whimper in her voice, "you can move."

Inuyasha grunted again.

"In a minute."

Inuyasha took a minute to regulate his breathing and pulled partway out to push back in. Both parties had their eyes closed for a minute. Only when the burn was almost completely gone for Kagome did she open her eyes. She held Inuyasha by either side of the face. She loved the sound of his moan as she kissed him. She suddenly found her back arching without her consent as Inuyasha pushed his hands up under the small of her back.

Not that she complained. In fact, this angle gave her a new perspective. She had always assumed it was the place they were connected that would make her feel good. Maybe a little bit of petting would feel nice too, but no—she discovered—that wasn't where all of her pleasure was coming from. His skin was so warm against hers and he would grip her so tightly when he came down that she just felt like he would never let go. His hair tickled her chest and arms, and his breath felt so hot and moist over her skin. She could feel his legs, his arms, his belly, chest, lips, tongue—and all of him tangled up in her, and it made her feel good; warm, secure, _loved_. This is what it was to make love, rather than to have sex. She might not notice these things if this was some boy she didn't love—but this—this was Inuyasha.

She soon found herself wrapping her legs around him to try to bring him even closer. He groaned into her ear and her eyes rolled back. She tilted her head back, her breath coming in ragged gasps and soft mewls. Her hands left his shoulders for her own hair. He finally heard her appreciative noises and managed one eye open. He didn't understand why it was so damn hard to open his eyes, when all he wanted was to see her. From what he could see, she was enjoying it. Her head tilted back and her hands clenched tightly in her black hair. One hand gripped under her rump and lifted her hips. She made a cute sound, muffled by biting her lip.

Her back arched again, creating a new angle at her hips, and that was enough for Inuyasha. He knew it had not been very long, and he tried biting his cheek to keep focused. Try as he might, he knew what was coming and rather than stop to try to regain some composure, he sped up to the finish—an attempt rewarded by louder gasps from his wife. His eyes clamped shut, and with a loud groan he buried his face into her shoulder. His body locked for a moment, then quivered into a limp, panting heap over Kagome, barely held off of her by his elbows. As he lay there, he tried to think of how to apologize for spilling so quickly, but Kagome interrupted his thoughts.

"That was good," she panted, staring straight up. She knew she didn't have an orgasm, but that was beside the point. She unwrapped her legs from around him and pulled her hands out of her hair, looking to her husband with a smile. He blinked over black eyes with a mild expression of surprise, before he returned the smile, only a tad sillier. She ran a hand through his hair, pushing his damp forelocks from his face. She leaned down to kiss him gently. He then disentangled himself from his wife so he could lie next to her and locate something to cover them. Kagome found the covers first, drawing them over the both of them and snuggling into her husband's chest. She pressed her forehead over his heart, still clamouring within his breast. His heartbeat was riotous, but at a strong and even rhythm, it was so calming. She didn't care that they were both gross and sticky, because if she had her way they'd be working up a sweat again in the morning.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>Huh. Looks like I actually found the courage to finish it. It's been since I was 13 that I tried writing smut, I can't say if I've gotten any better at it, but it's been a long time, so my writing overall should be somewhat better.<p>

Also, I actually planned on making this a little more... Well, I always read these ones that have Inuyasha (and Kagome too) being something of (a) sex god(s) even though we all know they're virgins so I'm betting my two cents that that first time would be a little awkward and a little less than perfect. But they'll have plenty of time to make up for it, and have lot's of practice. They'll learn how their own and each other's bodies work, Little by Little.


	6. Before the Dawn

**Before the Dawn**

He was a little surprised with how quickly she fell asleep. He heard one log crack in the fire, so the time it took her to fall asleep was a little longer than his (in his own mind) sub-par performance. He scrunched his face at that. He knew he might go pretty fast his first time, but he'd expected a little more stamina than that. Was it because he was a human? That had to be it. He would definitely at least last longer the next time…Kagome said she liked it, but he'd show her better.

He was making himself blush here, staring down at the lovely woman in his arms for several minutes and wondering when she would be ready for a second go. He flexed his hand. It still had a little sensation in it, but if he were in his normal form it would at least be another hour before his arm went completely numb. Actually, it _was_ nice having her sleeping like this, but he would much rather sleep with her back to him so he could wrap around her better. This position had him halfway on his back, and he usually preferred to sleep on his side.

His eyelids got heavier, but just as they closed for a second, Kagome got into that part of the sleep cycle where she thrashed around. He forgot she kicked in her sleep. Since she had been back, she'd been sleeping wrapped tightly in her sleeping bag, with no room to move.

_'Ow! Dammit,'_ he mentally swore, curling his legs out of the danger zone. She still kicked the covers off her feet though. Then she rolled out of his arms and to the edge of the bedding. With her now lying on her stomach, her flopping ceased. Inuyasha sighed. Was she going to do that every night? Although where she was now, he got a lovely view of her rump. She had a very arched, feminine curve to her spine that ended in that lovely backside of hers. Her hips were on the narrower side, but she would be strong enough to deliver babies without issue despite that—_not that he was thinking about having children_.

Inuyasha shook the needles out of his arm now that he could roll properly on his side again. He blushed brightly when a contrasting stain on the Robe of the Fire Rat caught his eye. He ignored the more obvious white stain for the smaller, darker one. _'So there was a bit of blood,'_ he thought, examining the few drops of darker red on the crimson fabric. The pervert hadn't been screwing with him. He was actually glad the Robe was laying on top of the bedding, since bloodstains would vanish from the Robe of the Fire Rat by the next morning, but normal fabrics would stain permanently.

He shook his head, tugging the edge of the sleeve from under Kagome and pushing it aside with his hakama. He scooted closer to his now calm wife and gently pulled her to him. He paused when she made a sound, but continued positioning her until he was satisfied that he could lay comfortably with as much of her pressed against him as possible.

* * *

><p>When Inuyasha realized he had fallen asleep he jerked himself awake inadvertently awaking his wife—now tangled around him. He quickly glanced overhead to see how dark the room was, not even the embers from the fire lit the room. The only light was the earliest of twilight. He had been asleep for several hours, though it felt like only a moment. Considering how short the nights were this time of year, the sun should rise soon.<p>

"Inuyasha?" She asked, still a little startled.

He squeezed her back a little bit and whispered for her to go back to sleep. This earned a groan from her as she let her eyes fall closed again. About a minute later she opened her eyelids again, shifting in her husband's arms and pulling back to look at him through bleary brown eyes.

"What are you doing awake?" Her voice was slurred as she tried to force herself into a proper state of consciousness. Inuyasha frowned and pulled her back to him, repeating that she should go back to sleep.

"Hey!" She grumbled as she forced herself away from his chest. He sighed and loosened his grip on her. He could only barely see the outline of her hair and shoulder, but he could tell she was probably glaring at him—or at least in his direction. He saw her shoulder shift, and he felt her hand lift from his back and feel up his arm, around the beads, and end on his jaw. She probably just wanted to know where she was supposed to be glaring. Inuyasha shivered when those fingertips ran around the edge of his rounded ear. It kind of tickled.

"I forgot. You always stay up on your human nights, huh?"

"Yeah… but I dosed off for a little while there," he replied.

Kagome removed her hand with a quiet mutter about how dark it was before rolling away from him. She sat up and noticed a twinge of pain in her belly when she moved. She ignored it to crawl to the back wall where she kept her backpack.

"H-hey! Where are you going?"

Kagome offered no explanation as she located the fabric of the bag and felt around for one of the front pockets. She located what she wanted in the pocket and crawled back to Inuyasha. The item was a little large, and made a 'clunk' when she set it down. Inuyasha raised a brow when he heard a familiar whirring sound. He couldn't remember what item of Kagome's made that sound, but it wasn't at all alarming to him.

Kagome clicked the lantern on, both her and Inuyasha squinting at the light until their eyes adjusted.

"Oh, good. It does still work."

Inuyasha's face slowly grew into a grin. He stared as Kagome positioned the lantern close to the bedding. He couldn't help himself. Kagome caught the grin after a few seconds. She squeaked and ripped most of the covers off Inuyasha to cover herself. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and leaned up on one elbow to hold his jaw.

"Like I haven't seen you naked before."

Kagome showed him a bit of exaggerated annoyance. She blinked once and the expression disappeared. She was now focused on scanning the room for their clothes. She located her yukata, near the foot of the bedding and scooped it up quickly, flipping it around and shoving her arms through the sleeves, before shyly turning to the side to drop the covers and cross the folds.

"Why're you gettin' dressed already?"

"Because," she started with a bit of heat in her face, "It's…I don't know...weird."

She stood, holding the front closed as she looked about for more of her clothing. She spotted her panties next, snatching them up and facing away from Inuyasha to step into them. She heard Inuyasha scoff at her comment. She looked around a while longer, but couldn't find her obi anywhere. Her wrap was folded with her Miko robes, that she didn't really want to refold, so she decided this was good enough. She pulled the fold as snugly as possible and crouched next to Inuyasha. She laid beside him and snuggled her back against his warm—and still nude—form. He lifted the covers and tossed them over her. She was comfortable for a moment before she noticed something awkwardly hard against her rump. She swallowed, remembering that Inuyasha had just woken up, and this was likely a reaction to that.

"Hey Inuyasha?"

"Hm?"

"Don't let me fall asleep again."

"Why not?" He asked, raising a brow.

Kagome sighed. "It's not fair that you end up staying up all night."

"Keh."

A moment of silence passed and Kagome already started to feel herself drift off. She shook it off.

"You have to keep talking to me, or I'll pass out."

Another moment passed before Inuyasha spoke.

"You got anything you want to talk about?"

Kagome thought about it for a second. They could discuss the garden again, but they did a pretty thorough job of that last night…

"No…Not really."

"Then sleep."

Kagome frowned. She sighed and squeezed tighter to Inuyasha. The stiffness in her bum was still bothering her, but his body was warm and comforting. Being snuggled next to someone you love is a different kind of heat than standing out in the summer sun all day. Despite the annoyance that the morning sun would bring, for now, this was nice. And it would be morning soon, Kagome noticed.

"Hey," Inuyasha started again.

"Yeah?"

She couldn't see the smirk, but she certainly felt her husband's fingers as he parted the layers she'd tried to close without an obi.

"If you want to stay awake a little while…"

She stiffened when he ducked his fingers under the hem of her panties. He leaned his weight on her, ever-so-slightly.

"There are other things we could do to kill time."

Kagome sighed. That would be nice but…

"I kinda want to wait until morning."

Inuyasha paused, carefully thinking over her words. It was almost morning right now. The room was getting brighter despite the lantern having gone out a minute prior. He gauged it at about 5-10 minutes before dawn. After an awkward second he asked why, his tone a little harsher than he planned. He could feel Kagome squirm slightly against him.

"I uh…it's hard to say…" She flushed brightly, "I kinda wanted to, you know, when you were in your normal form."

"And why's that?" He asked, his tone again harsher than he planned it, "You _know_ that was my first time. I'll get better at this, give me a little credit?"

Kagome's eyes popped open and she turned on her back to look at him.

"That's not what I meant! I-I…I uh…" she whispered the next part, "I really liked it…a lot. But I mean that, well, I love you." Inuyasha flushed as she continued, "and I love all of you. In any form you come in, but your regular look, well, it's the first form I knew and—" she got quiet again. "I always imagined looking up into gold eyes when we…um…" she was really trying hard to continue without bursting into flames, because that's about what her face felt like. "Your black hair looks really good too, but your regular eyes are really pretty." She averted her eyes. "Not to mention your ears. I was hoping that you'd let me play with your ears."

Inuyasha didn't know what to say. He had gone from feeling horny to awkward, to feeling like a jackass in all of thirty seconds. And his hand was still in his wife's underwear. He blinked once before pulling his hand away, only to be stopped by Kagome's own. She was still looking awkwardly away, but she pulled his hand back down between her legs. She pushed his hand against her, over the fabric. She licked her lips before speaking softly.

"I changed my mind."

Inuyasha could hardly hear her past the sound of his heartbeat in his own ears.

"You're…" he hesitated, "not just saying that because I was being a jackass, right?" He'd be a fool to turn her down, but he wanted to make absolutely sure.

Kagome shook her head.

"I can't wait until then."

She rubbed his hand against her a bit to get the point across. Inuyasha nodded. He pushed his other arm under her to wrap around her belly and pull her flush against him. He held her in place by the hand between her legs and ground himself against her backside, allowing her to feel more of his eagerness. She shuddered when her kissed her neck and continued to press his palm against her.

"You know what?" He asked, leaning up. Kagome turned her head to meet his eyes—half lidded and already growing hazy. "You can play with my ears whenever you want," he leaned down to whisper to her, "so long as you'll let me play with yours."

She squinted her eyes closed and hissed softly when his tongue traced the shell of her ear. Her hands squeezed on his hand and forearm. He swirled his tongue inside her ear, winching at the unpleasant taste, but loving the way she had to stifle a moan by biting her lip. He hooked his thumb under the elastic of her panties. He found it difficult to pull them down properly.

"Kagome, help me out here," he said, tugging on her undergarment. Kagome released his arm and bent her legs to remove them. She pulled one leg back to where it was, and slightly lifted the other for her husband's access.

The hand on her belly moved to trace the curve of her breast. He purred something into her hair when his hand gently stroked down between her legs. He slipped one finger inside her and she started to wriggle against his hips. His other hand began gently kneading her breast as he breathed in her scent. Even as a human he thoroughly enjoyed it. She twisted her back around to kiss his forehead. He laughed and tilted his head to kiss her on the lips, trailing kisses over her jaw. He slipped a second finger inside her and watched her expression pinch when he began to spread the digits. He curled his fingers and spread them, trying to watch Kagome's expression, though she turned her face away.

His heart began to pound, though it wasn't from pleasuring his wife. He felt this body start to change—that incredible strength he usually had was returning. He remembered his claws and pulled his fingers away before the deadly tips could make their appearance. Kagome whimpered once, opening her eyes and glancing back at her husband.

His hair was a dark grey now—no, almost a silver—now it was back to the white she was so familiar with. His eyes followed suit, lightening through the browns until they were golden once again. She blinked over brown eyes, wondering what it must feel like to have so many changes happen to his body at once. He noticed her curious glance and flashed a grin, exposing the tips of his fangs.

"What's that feel like?" She asked.

Inuyasha dropped the smile in favor of an arched eyebrow.

"What?"

Kagome blinked again.

"The changes. When you change from hanyou to human and then back again."

"Ah, well," he thought hard to find the words, some of his brain had forgone its blood in favor of the organ pressed firmly against his beautiful wife's backside. "The first one's easy. It's like fainting. Well, not really, but like when you feel yourself get weak and your legs get heavy, and your hearin' goes and your vision gets burry."

"Is it really that bad?" Kagome had fainted and nearly fainted on numerous occasions. She remembered how terrifying it was to lose control of her body like that.

"W-well… So you're used to being a human, but I'm not. So for me, when it happens it's…" he hesitated to say the word.

"Scary?" She finished for him. He nodded cautiously. He blinked once more, wrapping his arms around Kagome and pulling her against him again. He breathed in her scent again, now able to detect the little specific undertones that made her scent unique. Not to mention the dizzying scent of arousal.

"And when I change back," he started quietly, "It feels like these chains are taken off of me. And not just my strength, my hearing is way better." He inhaled deeply, "my nose works better," he scanned her face, "My eyesight's sharper, and…" he leaned down to kiss her jaw. She stifled a giggle when he ran his tongue across her shoulder. "You taste really good."

She broke out into a fit of giggles. She could make a joke about his larger fangs and ears, but he was not a wolf, and she doubted he would even understand the reference. He shifted then, propping himself up with one arm and rolling both of them over. Kagome was confused for a second. Then Inuyasha was holding onto her hips and lifting her onto her knees. She bit her lip, now having a good idea of what was going on. He was a dog hanyou, after all.

She let him pull the sleeves away from her arms and push her yukata away. She came down on her elbows, still biting her lip—she wasn't entirely sure about this. She looked down at the bedding beneath them—since she didn't figure there was a whole lot she could do in this position. He wrapped his hand tighter under her belly, pushing her bare back to him, letting her feel his chest and…lower.

"Kagome?" He asked, sensing her hesitance.

Kagome took a deep breath.

"I'm okay."

He brushed her hair out of the way and kissed her shoulder blade. He kissed her back, trailing his tongue partway down her spine, scraping his incisors along on his way back up. He shifted over to spread her legs with his knees. He reached down with one hand to help get aligned, smiling when Kagome arched away from him when his head brushed her lips. He held her tighter settling himself properly and leaned over her back, bracing himself with one hand against the bedding.

He slowly slid inside her, listening to her shuddering breaths and kissing her back. Kagome pushed back against him, sheathing him the rest of the way. He growled at the motion. It still felt weird for Kagome—having something inside her like this—but it didn't hurt. It felt good, yes, but it was still weird.

He pulled out partway and pushed back in, groaning quietly on the in stroke. She felt so good—warm, tight, slick—this could easily become his favorite activity. Of course, he blushed at the thought, repeating his previous actions. Kagome shifted under him, mewling louder than usual. He held her even tighter, and splayed his hand over her stomach.

"Fuuucck," he breathed, feeling how her muscles clenched against his palm as they moved. She arched against his hand, lowering off her elbows and onto her chest. He groaned at the angle and shifted his grip on her belly lower, between her hips.

Kagome gasped when he unconsciously pressed harder into her belly. She…liked the feeling. She pushed back against his hand, drawing a shudder from her husband.

"Inu…yasha…"she groaned, pressing her face against the bedding. She shifted her legs so she could move with him easier. His hand on her lower belly clenched into a fist to avoid his claws, incidentally pressing harder into the spot she liked. She moaned, turning her face into the bedding in embarrassment and tried to muffle the sound. Inuyasha's claws on his supporting hand were in serious danger of tearing the bedding.

"Dammit…" he swore, reluctantly pausing against his wife. He was going to spill just as quickly as last night if he kept at this. Kagome turned her head, barely able to see him panting behind her. It didn't feel right.

"Inuyasha? You haven't..?"

"No but…"

Kagome shifted her hips, drawing a loud grunt from Inuyasha. She pushed up with one elbow to look at him more.

"…Then let me roll over…I want to be able to hold onto you."

Inuyasha bit his tongue. He couldn't possibly blush more than he already was. He gave her a curt nod and a quick 'yeah.'

He pulled away from her and—that was unpleasant. That was uncomfortable for both of them. She rolled over and immediately grabbed either side of his face so she could lean up and kiss him. When he was fully enthralled with the kiss, Kagome pulled his hips closer again. She urged him to start back up, so he broke away from her, panting, and resumed the motions with her. She tangled her hands in his hair, forcing his head into her chest. He kissed the center of her chest. He picked his head up to glance down at her. She glanced away, like she was looking at something she shouldn't. '_Wasn't she the one who said my eyes were_ **pretty**?' he thought, lightly mocking her feminine terminology.

"Hey," he panted, slowing his pace somewhat. He cradled her cheek in his palm. She looked so embarrassed to make eye contact—it was adorable. He kissed her softly, both of them closing their eyes and forgetting the embarrassment. Inuyasha's eyes reopened when Kagome's hand was picking his own off her cheek. She changed her grip and lowered it to her waist.

"What're you doin'?"

Kagome bit her lip and pressed Inuyasha's hand to the same place it had been, between her hips.

She rolled her head to the side.

"I...really liked…when you held me here," she said between pants. Inuyasha studied her face, though he eyes fought to be closed. He applied a little more pressure to her belly. Her mouth opened a little wider for a gasp and she turned her head to the other side. Inuyasha's eyes fell closed again. He tucked his other hand under his wife's back and she arched into him, making them both groan. Kagome shifted her hips and dug her heels into the bedding. It felt good—there was something, something there. She felt like the harder that she dug her heels in, the closer she was to getting there.

Inuyasha felt himself drawing near again. He raised her up further by her back and she tugged at his hair harder. He growled deeply as he came, pushing his face into her shoulder as he was so used to. They both panted like that for a minute, Kagome's breath making her husband's ear twitch. Inuyasha tried to get off before Kagome was ready to let go, holding his head down. He turned his head to the side and let his wife hold him down. She took a few deep breaths and released him, letting her hands fall beside her head.

He lifted himself to gaze down at his wife. She didn't look like she was ready to move anytime soon. Not even for modesty's sake as she had done before. He leaned back down for a kiss—slow, lazy, loving—and smiled when he came back up. She offered him the same lazy smile, with half-lidded eyes and a chuckle in her breath.

"Better this time?" he asked casually.

She closed her eyes and laughed lightly.

"The first wasn't bad, you know."

"Is that a yes?"

"mn-hm," she offered with a nod. She still felt really good. She wondered, briefly, as Inuyasha pulled away from her whether or not she had…

"Come on," he said, sitting up and stretching his back, "we should probably get cleaned up." He blushed, but intentionally drew his gaze down to her inner thigh. Kagome flushed as brightly as him. Inuyasha turned his head to grab his clothes, and Kagome snuck her hand between her legs, feeling some of the mess. She brought her hand up to examine it, spreading her fingers and watching the stuff form a sticky bridge between her digits. She looked around for what to do with it before wiping her hand on her leg.

Inuyasha stood up and went to grab a cloth they could wipe down with. Kagome sat up to appreciate her husband's bare back—and legs, and ass.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome started, resting her chin on her knees.

He turned back to her, trying to partially hide behind the clothes in his hands.

"I want to be on top next time."

Inuyasha's eyes went wide and he blushed nearly to match his clothes.

"Y-you can do that? How, uh, how is that supposed to work?"

Kagome flushed darker, tightening her grip on her knees. Did he seriously just ask that? He acted like he'd never heard of it...It's not like Kagome had learned _positions_ from class, so why would he be any more in the dark about it than her?

"Uh…well, I, uh…you can…" she swallowed any sort of explanation. "Y-y'know what, I'll show you."

Inuyasha blinked several times, his eyes darting off randomly before returning to Kagome.

"Can you show me right now?"

"N-no!" she shook her head, "I mean, we've still got to make breakfast, I've got to go to Kaede's soon and…" her speech fell into embarrassed mumbling after that.

Inuyasha scratched the back of his head nervously.

"That's—yeah—sorry, that was stupid. Right. I'll get cleaned and dressed and then, I'll, uh, go fish. I'll get fish. I'll go fishin'."

Kagome nodded quickly, and he nodded back, their plans for the morning decided.

* * *

><p>...<p>

* * *

><p>So... I can't even talk at this point. This story isn't going to be just <strong>all<strong> smut (I made that decision at some point in the last week) but for the time being, that's what it is. I've also decided not to split things up into parts. If my chapter gets ridiculously long, I'll split it, but for now, I'll just have a bunch of chapters of varying lengths.

Also, I have literally no clue what Inuyasha wears, even Japanese bloggers are like ? It's commonly called a suikan or a haori, but since neither really looks like it, you'll get some semblance of "Robe of the Fire Rat" every time I mention it. I may even just shorten that to "his Robe" if I get annoyed enough with it.

You guys are lovely for leaving all the reviews!


	7. Baby Talk

**Baby Talk**

When Inuyasha returned from the forest, having tracked down and shooed a few small-fry demons, it was several hours past midday. Having discussed visiting Sango, Miroku, and their children with Kagome, he headed promptly in that direction, coming across the monk tending to his family's small garden. With a squeal of glee, Koyuki launched herself towards the hanyou, and latching onto his leg before he could even spot her.

"Uh, hi there," the white-haired youth greeted awkwardly, blinking down at the green-clad toddler. She immediately started climbing his leg.

"What have I told you about climbing on people? Koyuki…" Miroku chastised from the garden, holding one finger out to her. Koyuki frowned and let go of Inuyasha's leg. She instead held her hands up in the universal gesture of 'pick me up.' Inuyasha rolled his eyes and obliged, scooping her up under the arms. He held her just out of range of his ears, but she stretched to try to reach them anyway.

"Me tooo~o!" Came the whine of the older twin, holding her arms in the same gesture. Inuyasha huffed, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned.

"Sorry, Inuyasha," Miroku apologized, brushing the dirt off his hands.

"S'okay. As much as I complain, I don't mind these two, _that much_," he said, scooping the other twin up.

Miroku smiled at his good friend. He knew full well that Inuyasha loved those little girls nearly as much as he and Sango did. He had tried to avoid them right after their birth, saying he didn't like kids, but it didn't take long for the girls to notice their weird uncle and his weird ears. Yukie's first word had been 'up' and was directed towards Inuyasha with grasping hands. Sango, having seen her baby speak her first word, convinced Inuyasha that he was obligated to pick the little one up, and that was that.

"Oh yeah?" Inuyasha commented, keeping conversation with the girls. Miroku knew Inuyasha wanted to speak with him, but the girls kept babbling on in semi-understandable Japanese, forcing Inuyasha to devote most of his attention to them. For as much as he said he hated kids, he wasn't that bad at interacting with them.

"You know, I almost think they like you better than me," Miroku chuckled.

Inuyasha raised a brow. "I think it's just the ears."

The monk shook his head. "No, I genuinely think they'll miss the attention when you're busy doting on your own children," he said, smirking, when his friend turned bright red. "So tell me, you and Kagome have started working on an heir, yes?" It was a roundabout way of asking how his night was, and it implied even more than Inuyasha thought.

The girls turned up a curious glance when their living chair started sputtering.

"W-why you—!" He stopped himself, just barely, from giving the monk a name the girls didn't need to hear. He looked around for a second for something to—

Kagome poked her head around the corner of the open door, spotting her husband at the far side of Sango's garden. She smiled before ducking back into the house. Inuyasha checked with Miroku to see that he was finished in the garden, having selected enough vegetables for his family's dinner and they both went inside to join their wives. Kagome was folding one last item while Sango was playing with Ichiro.

"Ah, here you go, Kagome," Miroku said, handing her a small pouch. Kagome nodded and blinked down to Sango when she heard a laugh issue from the baby.

"Oh! He's laughing already," Kagome swooned suddenly over the baby, coming to sit beside his mother.

"It's a recent development," Sango said with a chuckle. Kagome held her face in her hands, loving the pealing laughter when Sango kissed the baby's forehead. Sango smiled back at the friend squirming happily in her seat.

"Arms," Sango said quietly. Kagome held out her arms for Sango to transfer the baby over. The infant gave Kagome a strange look, recognizing that this face was not his mother's but smiled when Kagome kissed his head. He no longer had that 'new baby' smell that Kagome had enjoyed when she first came back but he still smelled like a freshly bathed little one. Kagome blew a raspberry on his belly, making him burst out laughing louder than before. It wasn't just Kagome laughing with the sound. An infant's laugh is infectious.

"Ah, he's sooo cute. I so want one," she laughed lightheartedly, Sango wiping a tear away as her own laughter died down. Kagome didn't mean anything by it, but a smirk spread to the monk's features. He suddenly clapped the hanyou on the back and declared loudly,

"You heard her, my friend. Your young wife wishes for a child, you should oblige immediately," continuing the innuendo from outside.

Inuyasha's eyes grew wide while his eyebrows knit with a crease as he stared back at his wife. She mirrored the expression, barely a blush creeping into her color, more surprised at having her innocent comment twisted in such a way than embarrassed. A bright flush did come to Inuyasha's face, however, as he turned a glare towards the monk, grin still plastered to his face.

"Why you motherfuuu…"

He stalled out when two tiny hands tapped on either side of his face. He blinked rapidly, staring at the two little girls in either arm with their tiny palms against his cheek. They both were curious about the face their weird uncle was making. Did their father say something bad?

"Miroku, don't be so crude…" Sango said in a reprimanding tone, glaring at her husband. He feigned innocence and appall at her accusation.

"Oh, I didn't really mean anything by it. It is no fault of mine that there is just the one way to create a child."

"The hell you didn't," Inuyasha barked, nearly barking in actuality from his rising temper.

The intensity of Sango's glare sent a shiver down Miroku's spine. He swallowed any additional comments he might have made and held his hands up in defeat.

"Sorry, sorry. I should not have said anything."

* * *

><p>The trip home that night was silent for the young couple. Sango had to feed Ichiro before starting on dinner, so they chose that time to leave to start on their own meal.<p>

Although the wording wasn't the best, Miroku had broached a subject the newlyweds had neglected to discuss as of yet. Though, from the quiet between the two as they marched into the forest, finding the various trees much more interesting than their partner, one might assume they planned to leave that discussion where it lie. Although, they hadn't forgotten. They simply wanted to ignore it.

Slight movement drew Inuyasha's attention, however, as his wife shifted the bundle of vegetables and herbs to her other arm. He blinked, turned his face away and then back. The quiet was getting to him a little bit. He didn't mind quiet moments, but there was a poignant unease to the silence this time.

"Do you want me to carry that?" he asked quietly.

Kaede had given Kagome a few vegetables from her garden, and the others were from a villager thanking Kagome for helping with his son's sprained ankle. Kagome tried to refuse the vegetables—she had just wrapped it and applied something for the swelling—but he insisted. The man knew—the village did—that Kagome was a little late getting a garden started. It was nice though, these ingredients would make for a nice vegetable soup for tonight, and she would be able to pickle the others with Sango's help.

"I've got it," she replied, glancing his direction. Their eyes met for a millisecond before Inuyasha turned away again, scratching his head. As they rounded a large tree, their house was fully in view. Kagome still stared her husband's way, chewing her lip. He glanced back awkwardly, feeling her eyes on him before quickly turning back away, clearing his throat slightly. Kagome frowned. He probably had the same thing on his mind as she did. She sighed, finally ready to talk.

"Um, Inuyasha, I know that—"

"Hey," he cut her off, finally looking at her fully, "that reminds me. What did Miroku give you earlier?"

Kagome squinted in confusion.

Inuyasha blinked. "When we came in," he clarified, "He gave you something—a little pouch."

"Oh yeah," she walked a little slower to pull something out of her clothing. She produced a little sewn purse. She stopped a few meters from their door and told Inuyasha to hold out his hand. She dumped a small, cloth-wrapped bundle into his palm for him to give her a look of confusion. She tilted her head with a smile, encouraging him to unwrap the little square of fabric.

"Seeds?"

Kagome nodded. Sango had said that it was a bit late in the year to plant, but the few vegetables Miroku had chosen would get at least a couple more yields. It would at least be good practice for when they could start a proper garden the following year. She carefully rewrapped the seeds and placed them back into the pouch, tucking them away. She shuffled the vegetables under her arm and led the way into the house.

"Damn," Inuyasha swore behind her as she gauged the water level for cooking.

"What is it?"

"We haven't even started on gettin' the dirt turned over yet. You wanna do that tomorrow?"

"Um," she started, determining they'd need to refill the water for the night. "I'll be with Kaede most of tomorrow, we're getting started on creating barriers. You think you could handle it on your own?" She turned around with a bucket in hand.

Inuyasha scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Who do you think I am? Of course I can handle it…" he paused, actually considering his very limited knowledge in planting seeds. He blinked, and asked seriously, "just loosening the soil, right? I know how to dig, at least."

Kagome nodded and shoved the bucket into his hands, asking him to run to the river for her. Kagome had the kindling cracking and catching the larger logs when her husband returned outside the small house. He pushed back the screen as Kagome began washing the vegetables in the leftover water from breakfast. She looked up at Inuyasha as he set the bucket beside her.

"Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?"

Kagome bit her lip and went to slicing up their dinner.

"We need to discuss this. We should have talked about this more a while ago."

She heard him sit across from her with a heavy thud, fully understanding what she meant. She looked up to him, him staring away, playing with the fang that grew in crooked after he knocked his front teeth out the last time. Oftentimes he'd cut himself on it, playing with it like a child with their first loose tooth. She knew he was paying attention, but at the same time, he always got this way with tougher subjects. She stilled her hands, setting the small knife beside her cooking pot.

"Inuyasha. Can you look at me a second?"

He slowly obeyed, slit pupils constricting as he glanced past the fire. He took a deep breath and sat up a little straighter, giving her his full attention. Kagome nodded.

"I do want to…have a baby eventually…just, I mean..."

Inuyasha's eyes widened ever so slightly. Kagome bit her lip for a second, looking down to resume dinner prep. She swallowed her nerves as she continued with the next part in a much quieter voice.

"Honestly we should have started talking about this before we started having - doing - last night. It's not like there's condoms in this time period, so we… but I mean if we just never discussed this and kept at it like last night—and this morning—I'd get pregnant anyways, if I wasn't paying attention then I might've gotten pregnant just from last night so then—"

"Kagome," he interrupted, flaming red. "You're not—"

"I know, Inuyasha. There's no chance that I'd already be. I've got like three days until I'll start my period so I'm way past ovulation," Kagome plowed through, trying to get to her point though voicing her thoughts was embarrassing. She locked eyes with Inuyasha, his eyes wide and his face and throat completely flushed. He opened his mouth to say something, but she continued; "Do…do you want a child, Inuyasha? I didn't even think to ask you…" it was a silly question, but she needed something to say.

He blinked, glancing down at her hands. "Y-you sure you want to have a kid?"

The blush slowly began to drain from her face. _'what?'_ her heart slowly slid down into her gut. Her hands stilled as she took a moment to process the fact that…it wasn't like having a baby was a requirement for her to be happy. It was just that she had always pictured children coming into the equation when she thought of what marriage was supposed to be. Sure, some couples never had children, but she just thought—just dreamed—that she would become a mother someday. She thought, with Inuyasha, she and he would become parents. She had imagined and hoped that whatever children they had might inherit his ears. She imagined sleepless nights with a crying baby, frequent baths for a mud-caked toddler, tantrums, stroking a young one's back when they were crying…but if he didn't want to have children…well, she'd learn to accept that. She loved Inuyasha, and she wouldn't force him to care for a child he wouldn't want.

But the next words slipped past her lips without her consent.

"You don't?"

Inuyasha's eyes snapped back to his wife's. He crouched forward, slapping his hands on the floor. He shook his head quickly.

"That's not—! I do! I do."

His eyes softened as his gaze dropped to her chin, looking beyond her and just looking outward. He exhaled and he sat back into a more relaxed position. Kagome blinked slowly, trying to make out just what he'd meant by the comment if it didn't mean he didn't want a child.

"That would be…" His voice was almost a whisper. "To be a father…that's—I'd like that." His gaze rose again. "What I meant was, _are you sure you want to have __my__ kid_?"

Kagome's brows knit in confusion.

"Who else's kids would I have? You're _my_ husband, I love _you_."

He dipped his chin, never breaking his wife's gaze. "You're okay with that? You'd be willing to do that?"

Kagome huffed and rolled her eyes. "Have your babies?" The question was rhetorical.

Inuyasha sat back further. "Okay, okay. But what if they come out weird?"

"Weird how?"

"What if—" his ears twitched, "they look like me?"

Kagome groaned. "So that's what this is about? I thought you got over this a long time ago." She leaned forward, reaching for the top of his head. He leaned away but she scooted forward, catching an ear gently. She traced the edge with her thumb and rubbed tenderly. "I'm kind of hoping they do look like you." Inuyasha blushed, trying not to lean into her touch, although the soft massage felt pleasant.

Inuyasha scoffed, looking off to the side. "You're the only one who likes my ears, you know."

"Sango's girls seem fond of them," she joked. "And not just that, you're really good looking, you know? If we have a kid as attractive as you are, you'll be beating the suitors back night and day. You'll hate it."

"Stop that," he said, waving her away from his ears with a dark blush.

Kagome sat back on her calves, resting her hands in her lap. "So, you're okay with having children?" Inuyasha nodded. "Okay. Good. But um...can we wait a little while? It's just that I really want to spend more time with you before we bring a child into the equation."

Inuyasha glanced at the ceiling for a second. "Sure, you're younger than Sango, so a few years won't hurt anything right?"

Kagome nodded as she bit her lip. She started to think about how they would manage this as she returned to preparing their food. She set the pot on to bring to a boil, and then clapped her hands together.

"Okay, so…I'll need to pay better attention to my cycle, since I'll probably ovulate right in-between my periods. Wait, is that always right? Right in the middle?" She was mostly speaking to herself, but her husband interrupted her outward thoughts.

"I can tell, you know."

Kagome turned her attention back to the white-haired man with a puzzled look. His face was slightly heated, but not enough to be visible.

"Your, uh, cycle. I can tell the days when you're ready to, um…to conceive a baby. Your scent changes a few days leading up to then."

"Oh…that's...good to know," she flushed. "If that's the case, then we'll need to avoid, 'it' for like three days before. That's how long…" she swallowed her embarrassment, "semen lives in a woman's body."

"Oh." He flushed slightly. "Can I say something?"

"Yeah?"

"That day when we were at the creek, right before me and Miroku left?" He turned away as Kagome's eyes widened. He licked his lip and ended with, "So yeah…"

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry! That must have been why I was so eager to get your clothes off," Kagome slapped her hands to her face, holding her cheeks. "Was that hard for you to do?"

Inuyasha quirked a brow. "To what? Resist you? I'm not a fuckin' dog, Kagome. And you weren't no bitch in heat..." he paused as she shot him a glare. "Okay, so I'll admit I was _tempted_ to scoop you up and run you back in the house—roof or not—but I knew better than to get you pregnant the first time. I'm not some kind of animal. I would have never even thought that way if you hadn't _started it_."

Kagome chuckled nervously as she apologized. He waved her off, smiling. Kagome nodded and chopped the last bits of flavorful herbs for the food. It would be a while before it was done cooking, so leaving it a fair distance from the fire, the couple spent a few minutes outside looking over their future garden plot. Kagome instructed exactly where she wanted the edges, and Inuyasha shoved sticks in to mark the corners. That done, they went in to eat.

They didn't talk a whole lot the rest of the night, but they didn't need to. This was the sort of silence Inuyasha preferred. They went back outside for a while, watching the clouds move in front of the tiny sliver of moon and the bright stars. Kagome reminded her husband how much she loved the stars in this era. He was told this dozens of times during their shard hunt, but he always enjoyed how sweetly she talked about the stars she never got to see in her world. She could tell him a million more times, and he's listen.

He drug her in after she yawned the first time. She insisted she was fine, but he made her lay down with him, holding her tightly against him. She was out a few minutes later. He buried his nose in her hair, enjoying her scent until her kicking fit started up again. He groaned. It probably would be like this every night—he realized as he locked his legs around hers. It was so much easier to restrict her sleep-thrashing while he was a hanyou.

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><p>Publishing at 3 am once again!<p>

It's been a while, sorry, most fic writers have the legitimate excuse that college is hard, and finals are worse. I'm no different as finals are the next few weeks.

Also, about this chapter, I know they just got settled, but I still don't think they need to practice their baby making every night. They're in love, so squishies and cuddles can be enough sometimes. I just wanted to point out that (for the most part) there's no birth control in this era, so they'd need to be very wary of that issue. I want them to have a baby, but I first want them to get to know each other for a good while before then.

Then, there's the issue of Inuyasha, I realize that he's much more comfortable with himself now, but I feel like he still carries his childhood with him, and is inherently scared that his own child might go through discrimination like that, as implausible as it is in that village. They're going to discuss babies more in the future, but this is the largest chunk to get out of the way.


End file.
